Enjoy an interesting factoid from each of the NBA’s seven games on Friday.
Move over, Hondo. James Harden pushed past Celtics legend John Havlicek for 10th all time with his 32nd career triple-double: 27 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Bob Cousy is next at No. 9 with 32, while Fat Lever sits eighth with 43. At the other end of the court, Hornets center Dwight Howard became the first player to grab 15 or more rebounds in the first five games of the season since Charles Barkley in 1998-99.
The Spurs rarely lose, let alone badly. The Magic not only hammered them but did so in historic fashion, taking a 27-point lead at the break that tied for the second-largest halftime deficit under coach Gregg Popovich. For reference, the Popovich era spans 22 seasons and 1,661 games in the regular season.
The Nuggets haven’t been as explosive as many observers expected after last season’s impressive run triggered by the rapid ascent of Nikola Jokic. But they at least showed signs against the Hawks with five scorers tallying between 16-18 points.
The Knicks have struggled mightily this season, becoming the last team to reach the win column with Friday’s victory over the Nets. But it’s been no fault of Kristaps Porzingis, who became the first Knicks player with at least 100 points and 30 rebounds in the first four games since Patrick Ewing all the way back in 1993-94.
The two rivals turned in another classic six days after Andrew Wiggins’ 3-pointer won it for the Timberwolves at the buzzer in Oklahoma City. This time they battled through 15 ties and 31 lead changes before Jimmy Butler’s three-point play put the Wolves up for good with 4:09 remaining in the fourth. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 33 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks, the first time in his career he’s reached those thresholds.
Taking advantage of Bradley Beal’s ejection (alongside Draymond Green) late in the first half, the Warriors fought back from 18 down to claim their 15th comeback of at least 15 points over the past four seasons. That briefly tied the Raptors for the most in the NBA over that span …
… until They The North fought back from 17 down against the Lakers for their 16th such rally.
